Electric Fire: Continued
by Krystal Kerro Sky
Summary: The continuing story of Fidget Wilson. Has Fidget totaly broken ties with her old family, and turned to a life of Terrorism? (Completed by Kerro, started by Fidget)Chapter 10 up! (Chapters writen by Fidget have been removed,go read her story)
1. 6 Confused

**Chapter 6**

By: Fidget

**A/N:** Yeah, I know it's been forever. Sorry about that. I think I just couldn't stand writing any more of Tempest's awkward attempts at catching Fidget's attention. Plus, there was all this S4 stuff going on for ReBoot... So anyway, I'm sorry, and I hope you enjoy this as an apology.

Alex, Grinder and Rikki had tried to go back to a regular life. A new camera-woman had been appointed, a scrawny, freckled girl named Darla who was overly excited about her new job. She had taken a bit to Grinder (taken a bit in the sense of growing on him), who's never-ending patience was put to the test with his new appendage. Rikki and Alex often exchanged pitying glances at her ignorant statements. Life had changed, and it was time to accept it.

Rikki found Alex in the kitchen area one day about two months after Fidget's fall and leaned casually against a cupboard door. Alex continued in his activities of stirring something until Rikki's persistent silence drew his attention.

"What's up, Rik?"

"Oh, nothing much," Rikki replied casually. "Say, Alex," He added too suddenly for it to be a revelation. "I had an idea. They never found her body, right?"

Alex eyed him again, suspicious. "Right..." He agreed slowly.

"So, maybe that one thing that happened to you happened to her."

Now, Alex was definitely curious. "What thing, Rikki?"

"Well, you know, that one time when you fell on X's blimp. Maybe she fell on his blimp and was okay!"

"Rikki, don't you think we would have gotten some sort of threat from X by now if that were the case?" Alex held his friend's shoulders as Rikki looked about to crumple.

"Well, yeah. But maybe...maybe _he_ doesn't know she's there, either!"

"Rikki-"

"No, but think about it! Maybe she's been hiding out this entire time! Alex, I think we should go and see!"

"**Rikki!** You're just getting excited chasing wild geese. Calm down and look at the real deal here. You're getting your hopes up."

Rikki looked back and forth, literally searching for an answer. "It's not me, it's...Vinnie!" He grabbed the disgruntled reptile off the table and held him up in Alex's face. "Alex, I'm worried about him. He's taking the loss very hard, he hasn't been himself since!"

Vinnie yawned, blinked, and tasted the air.

Alex pushed Rikki's hands down. "Rikki, you need some help."

Rikki tossed Vinnie down on to the table again, the latter making a anxious noise as he flew. Rikki grabbed Alex's shoulders and looked very serious. "Just say we can go in there. I'll go with you! Alex, I could never live with myself if I thought she was in there and we didn't help."

Alex sighed. "Fine. But I really think this is crazy, Rik. If it'll help you, I'll do it."

Rikki smiled, and grabbed Alex around the arms in a hug. "Thank you!"

"Uh, no problem."

*

Fidget had become almost accustomed to her new home, and her new 'team'. Asazi had somewhat lost her venomous edge and accepted Fidget as much as she had accepted anyone else. Verbal battles took place often, but they were _nearly_ in good humor. Tempest had begun to train a somewhat reluctant Fidget to use her newfound powers when and how she wanted to.

"Ya' know, I thought it'd be a little more difficult." She commented one day, looking over the lightning rod he had loaned her. It was too large and heavy for her to use effectively, she had to wield the steel pole with both hands to aim it. _If I were in a fight, I would probably just club someone with it,_ she thought, a mental image springing into her head.

The most difficult part had been learning to not use her full force of electrocution. She hadn't wanted to be trained to efficiency in her power because of the pain it brought, but Tempest had explained to her how to avoid it.

"Your body isn't built to handle large amounts of electricity. Neither is mine. It's just the way we're composed. True, the strange effects of our mutation has equipped us to stand a higher voltage than the normal human, but for whatever reason, we can conduct energy faster from the storm than we can really handle. At any rate, the flickering skin is a side effect of too high a voltage. When you or I get feelings of strong emotion, we summon energy from the storm. We can do it on purpose, too, but it happens involuntarily. If you don't check yourself, it goes too fast through you, you get too much voltage and it causes pain. Get it?"

Fidget blinked. "Uh, I think."

Tempest sighed. "Good." He walked off for a moment, and she threw a few crackles of electricity at the wall. When he returned, he was holding two smaller staffs. He held them out to her, and she set his on the table and took them. "I got these for you. You looked a little unbalanced with just one bigger one."

She looked down at her odd little gifts. "Um, thanks." She held them up, experimentally swinging them around and pointing them at various objects without firing. Tempest watched her approvingly. While spinning 180 degrees, she stepped on the back hem of her pants and slipped, sitting down hard. She sat, stunned, for a moment before looking up and grinning at him. "Guess I should rest a little, then." She said, and carried herself and her new toys off to her room.

It was odd, the way she was embracing her powers like this. Such a short time ago, she would have run away and tried to forget they existed. Now...She looked at her gifts again. They reflected the light beautifully, casting odd shadows on the walls. As she stared at them, it occurred to her how she used these would put her definitely on one side or the other. If she fired on Asazi, Dr. X, or Tempest, she was the same old Fidget. If she fired on Alex or the others...

She dropped her lightning rods and frowned. Alex and the others. Were they really the 'good guys'? She had fallen down here, been trapped for more than a month. Nobody ever showed up to save her. They didn't care, didn't care at all! How could she have ever sided with them? Tempest was right; Alex was nothing but a jock, obsessed with the public's view of him. As bad as Masters ever was. Well, she would give the public something to dislike him about...

She tingled with energy and took a deep breath. All she needed to do now was fry her radio, her only source of entertainment. A knock on her door startled her out of her thoughts.

"Uh, come in." she said, glancing around to make sure nothing embarrassing was out before realizing she didn't own anything embarrassing. The door opened and Tempest looked in.

"Um, hey." he said, leaning against the door handle. Fidget waited for it to snap off and wondered in the back of her mind how she would open her door without a handle. She decided not to risk it.

"Here, sit down." She scooted over and made room on the little cot, the only surface suitable for sitting or relaxing at all in the entire room. He did, and she pulled the door mostly closed behind him with her foot.

"I just wanted to tell you, you're doing a great job with your powers. You seem to have a natural talent for it." Tempest said lamely, smoothing her polyester sleeping bag with one hand.

Fidget rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." She waited for him to say anything else, then snorted. "For god's sake, kid! Have you _ever_ been attracted to _anybody_ before in your entire pathetic life?!"

Tempest jerked and looked at her with wide eyes and a puzzled face. "I...uh..."

"I mean, you can't hide it properly, you can't show it properly! You're stuck in your own little dilemma. I can't stand your half-assed little attempts at conversation, so cut it out or get it right!"

Tempest stared. He took a breath as if to say something, but stopped with his mouth open and no sound coming out. Fidget grabbed his head in her hands suddenly and latched her mouth over his, intending to befuddle him and make him go away. But instead, he kissed her back, and his arms crept up her sides until he was holding her against him. She backed up a little, leaning her head against the back wall, and things may never have stopped if the nylon sleeping bag hadn't suddenly slid off and dumped them both violently on the floor. Fidget's eyes popped open and she stared at Tempest, who stared back with surprise and almost fear. She felt she needed to say something to win back her dignity.

"Well, then...get out of my room!" she said suddenly, waving an arm at the door. Tempest stared a moment longer.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" she yelled, frowning. "Leave!"

Tempest retreated, still looking horribly confused, and left Fidget sitting on the floor and rumpled sleeping bag, along in a former storage closet.


	2. 7 Roving Eyes

Chapter 7

By: Kerro Starbane

Hope.

Rikki clung to the picture of Fidget. He knew she was ok, lost somewhere. Maybe she did fall onto X's ship while it was cloaked, like what had happened to Alex in Washington so long ago.

Hope was all he seemed to have right now, hope that told him she was safe.

Darla quietly came in. She didn't want to interrupt Rikki, she never did. She remembered Fidget Wilson; very popular among aspiring camera women. She was a role model to young girls who wanted to go into photography, and not have any fears. Fidget Wilson caused rebellion, and that's all there was to it, rebellion.

Rikki put the picture back in the album, and closed the cover. He turned and saw Darla.

"Need something?" he asked more mournful than he intended.

"Uh, no. I was just wondering where you had gone off to, that's all." She turned and walked out.

He sighed, pulling out his laptop. A quick entry helped every now and then in his digital diary. No one ever saw it, so, no need to think about what they would see. He ended with a small, but heartfelt question, "is Fidget all right?"

**

Fidget stretched her aching back. She seemed to have fallen asleep thinking about her, her what? New world, new life? None of it made any sense. 

A rap on her door. It wasn't Tempest, he just sometimes barged right in. Well, not barged, but he said something at least. Asazi never came to bother her either, because the two women had really nothing to talk about. This only left one person. 

She didn't want to open the door. All her encounters with X had been bad, and those had always had Alex there to rescue her. But with no Alex, was she helpless?

She grabbed one of her lightning rods and slowly eased the door open, keeping the rod hidden behind the door.

Dr. X smiled, showing… kindness?!

"And how are we today, Miss Fidget?"

"Uh… huh?"

He frowned, and then sighed. "Don't think Tempest hasn't told me you are living here on board the Airship, for he has. And I have been watching you practice." A Trilobug crawled down his arm, and waved its' front legs at her. "And have you ever thought of not sleeping in a storage closet?"

She shook her head. "Well, of course I have." She shot out.

X laughed. "Then move to one of the other quarters. There are some open ones." He gestured to the radio and Alarm clock, along with the one lightning rod on the cot. "It shouldn't be too hard to move, now should it?"

She stared, almost dumbfounded. He had gone from Villain to Miss Susie Homemaker in a few moments. She dropped the rod in her hand on the cot, and sat down heavily next to it. 

"Is something wrong my dear?" he leaned against the door frame, looking at her.

"X!" 

Tempest skidded to a halt in the hallway. 

"I'm sorry, I should have told you the moment I found out she was here, but I didn't want to get her in trouble." He panted.

"It is quite all right Tempest. This is all going to be resolved, along with another problem that has been bugging me. Now, Fidget, how about we move you to a bigger… room?" he said, taking in the surrounding closet, calling it a room for her sake probably.

"Sure." She turned to pick up the radio/alarm, and her lightning rods. She stood up, balanced, and was ready to go.

X turned from the door and led the way down the hall and up a flight of stairs. He stopped outside a door marked with a 6.

"This should work for you." He placed his palm on the side panel, and the door slid open, revealing a larger room than the closet she had just been in. A twin bed was leaning against the far wall; a desk was next to it with a computer consul built in. 

Fidget walked in, setting her stuff on the desk. She turned to X in amazement.

"Dr. X…" She was about to ask about all the times he fought with Alex, but decided against it. "Thanks."

The doctor nodded, and left. 

Tempest stepped into the room. He sat on the chair in front of the desk. "Well… I have never seen him act so nice to anyone before. Maybe it is just what he has planned… Any way, what do you think of your new room?"

Fidget lay back on the bed. "Much better than that storage closet." She crossed her legs and put her hands behind her head. "I could get used to living in here. You can leave anytime now." 

Tempest stared at her. "Leave? But I thought—"

"Don't start with me, kid. I'm years older than you are… now out, this princess needs some sleep." She rolled over onto her side, her back towards him. 

Tempest sighed. She would always call him 'kid.' "Well, just so you know… my room is right across the hall." He turned and left her alone.

Fidget sighed. She was still alone, still among enemies, with no sense of hope to escape… or to be rescued. They may be her new team… but still felt like enemies. Two months with them, and half of her wanted to say they are friends, but the other half said once an enemy, always an enemy. 

"Way too confusing." She whispered.

She decided that sleep was not what she wanted right now. She got up and looked at her room again. From her bed, to the left, literally in the wall, was her desk, and from there, the door outside. To her right, or left of the door, was another door, smaller, probably leading to a bathroom. There was a standing closet next to the bathroom door. The door was open ajar. 

She got up and looked in it. A chain mail shirt, almost identical to the one Tempest wore, hung on a hanger. She scratched her head, and ended up giving her self a little shock. When she rubbed the spot, she shocked herself again. She stopped messing with her head and grabbed the little note attached to the shirt. 

_Fidget, It has surprised me on how long you have gone with out shocking yourself… so just incase, this chain mail shirt is designed to keep you from doing just that. It absorbs the energy, and releases it away from you, harmless like rain. There is an outfit (compliments of Asazi) in the drawer on the bottom. _

She looked down and saw a drawer. She opened it and found a pair of gray pants, and a light blue tank top. There was a darker blue vest, with holders for her lightning rods. 

"Well… you people sure thought of everything to keep me here…" she said, pulling everything out and setting it out on her bed. 

She decided to change into her new uniform. When everything was on, everything except the chain mail shirt and vest, she looked in the mirror that was mounted inside the door in the closet. 

The pants hung on her hips, but where perfect on her frame. The tank top was a slightly tight fit, but seemed to stretch. When she pulled the chain mail shirt on, she felt the small shocks that she had kept giving herself stop. That was a relief. She pulled the vest on, which hung rather large, but still fashionably well. 

She put her lightning rods in their holders on her back. Looking in the mirror showed that they showed over her shoulders, in easy access. 

Something more in the closet caught her eye. Reaching in, she pulled out a silver cape with a hood. 

"What in the world is this for?" she asked the cape in her own wonderment.

"Its part of a plot X has." Came a venomous voice from the door. 

Fidget turned and faced Asazi. "How long have you been standing there?" she snapped

"Just as you pulled out the cape. Now, with your hair… those colors look good on you." She said, stepping into the room, letting the door slide shut behind her. The green clad assassin smiled. "I think Tempest would like to see."

"So what if he does… that kid would just go google eyed." Fidget spat back. "So, what's this cape for anyway?"

"You'll find out." Asazi said. "So… have you heard the news?"

Fidget frowned. "Nah… never paid much attention to it. Why?"

Asazi turned the computer on with a press of a button on the desk top. "Let me show you. This clip was taken about a month and a half ago, a week after you joined us." She opened a video file, and the news cast ran on the screen.

"This is Mike Bensen with you four 'o'clock news. News from Team Extreme is that their Camera Woman, Fidget Wilson, has mysteriously disappeared. Manager Rikki Syngh-Baines says 'During a stunt, she fell out of the hatch.'"

Rikki's face came on to the screen. "She was just half hanging out of the hatch, her camera in hand, no safety gear hooked up, when Big Air took a sudden roll, and she just tumbled out." 

It went back to Mike Bensen. "There is no comment from Alex Mann, or their mechanic, Desmond Sinclair. Mr. Syngh-Baines has also informed us that they will be hiring a new camera woman with in the coming week." 

The news cast ended, or more-of was stopped recording.

Fidget sat heavily on the bed, staring at the screen. 'They think I'm _dead_? That's not right… I know Rikki… he wouldn't think that… Wait—Alex wasn't doing a stunt… he was fighting Dr. X… but… we can't tell the media that… or anyone else. So… I'm dead to them… well, fine... I'll play dead, my friends… and see how you like a ghost crawling up your ass.' During her thoughts, her stund reaction turned into a vicious smile. 

"What's this plot Dr. X has?" she asked, looking at her shoes next her he feet.

Asazi sat in the chair. "Planning on using you to lure Action Man here. Other details... he won't give out. But if Lover-boy thinks your dead, then why would he bother with a ghost?"

Fidget put her shoes on. "Well… look at my outfit. Gray, blue and silver… ghostly colors, I could even be a ghost. And Rikki would talk him into it."

Asazi raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Paranoia? Are you so sure?"

Fidget looked at her. "I know Rikki, he would do it." She tied the laces, and stood up. "Thanks for the outfit…"

The older woman chuckled. "No problem. I, personally, don't like blue, but with your blonde hair… it looks good on you." 

"Ya know, you're not such a bad person after all." Fidget stated, picking up her old cloths and storing them in the drawer. 

"It took you this long to figure that out?"

"Well… yeah. I mean… when we've spent the last year or so fighting one another, I've always seen you as a bad person." She said, closing the closet door. Turning around, Asazi was still looking at her. 

"I can see why he protects you." She said quietly.

"Who?" Fidget asked, putting her hands on her hips. 

She shook her head, green locks flying. "Alex, and Tempest… they both care for you, but you just don't seem to realize it." With that, the hired assassin walked out, the door sliding shut behind her. 

Fidget stared at the closed door. What in heavens name was going on? Asazi starts making sense, and Dr. X acts extremely against his nature, and Tempest has a crush on her….  And Alex cared for her? That wasn't something new… but in this day and age… who knew?

She sat down at her computer. The screen still had the video clip up; she closed that, and tried connecting to the internet. When the browser was about to load, her screen went black, and green lettering wrote itself on the screen. 

_Miss Fidget, please do not try and connect with the internet… can't have any one finding out that the Airship exists. I'm sorry if this puts a damper on what you wanted to do, but when we stop for fuel, feel free to use it then. We will be refueling in about two hour's time. We will be in the town for about one day, that should be ample time._

The letter remained on the screen for two minutes, and then erased itself, returning her back to the desktop. 

"No need to tell me who wrote that anyway, X, I'll kindly oblige and follow this rule." She got up from the computer, something shifted on her screen. 

_Thank you very much, Miss Fidget._

She stared at that. "Bu… huh?" she backed away from the computer… 'He's watching me, I know it! He's some freaky person if he thinks he can scare me.' She thought, hitting the button to turn the monitor off. She sat back in the chair, forgetting why she had gotten up in the first place.

She had been on the air ship for two months so far… learned how to control the power of the storm,  and had found out that Team Extreme didn't care. She reached for the radio/alarm clock and recharged the batteries with a touch of electricity. She had figured that out when the batteries had died on her, and she had no extra ones, or a way to charge it. 

She flipped the dial up, and heard something she didn't expect to hear.

_………_

_Why should I care, _

_Cause you weren't there, _

_When I was scared, _

_I was so alone._

_You, you need to listen._

_I'm startin' to trip,_

_I'm losin' my grip _

_And I'm in this thing alone._

_Am I just some chick you placed beside you,_

_To take somebody's place?_

_When you turn around, _

_Can you recognize my face?_

_You used to love me _

_You used to hug me, _

_But that wasn't the case, _

_Everything wasn't okay._

_I was left to cry there _

_waitin' outside there _

_grinnin' with the lost stare,_

_that's when I decided--_

She turned it down again, chocking back a sob. "Avril… how in the world do you know what to sing? Not even I could have put it in to better words."

**

Tempest watched Fidget practice with her lightning staves. She was becoming very experienced with them. Her moves became a dance, a dance he couldn't begin to describe, but as he watched her, something she said awhile back sparked its own smidgeon of power from him. _She called me fourteen. I'm not fourteen, I'm sixteen._

"Did you say something?" she asked, turning to look at him. 

He couldn't help but stare at her. She looked better in that outfit than her normal cloths, and even with the chain mail shirt on, she still had a beautiful form.

"No, I didn't." he replied, shaking his head and picking up his own staves. She went back to practicing, swinging herself around, and hips swinging in time to her own music. He couldn't help it… just something about her. 

Things between them hadn't changed, well, except maybe a little of the stone she used as a shield had kind of chipped off, and their relationship had grown. It was weird to feel these things toward her, but since that kiss awhile ago, the feelings had flared. _I wonder if she feels the same way._

Fidget sat next to him, picking up a towel. She giggled, seemingly at random. "Ya' know—"

"Ya' know, ya know what? Ya know, I'm getting tired of that phrase, can't you think of a better way to start a conversation?" he snapped back, totally without meaning to.

She stared at him, aqua-blue eyes wide. She began giggling, then out right laughing. "Ok, I have a better way to start a conversation. I have a twin sister, a mother, and three half brothers. Candice is about 6 seconds older than me; my mom has changed her name from Wilson, to St. Germain, because of when she divorced my father. And you kinda know who my half brothers are." She said, looking at him. "Tell me about your family."

Tempest looked at her. _Unbelievable. Out of the blue like that too, freaky. "Well… uhh… I'm an only child, my mom is Naomi, my father is Dexter—"_

"Dexter?  Your dad's name is Dexter?" Fidget asked, suppressing another giggle.

"So? But anyway, my parents never really cared about me… unless I achieved something… but they didn't _love me like they should have, I guess you could say they were, and always have been, bad parents." He hung his head, but then was startled back when Fidget put a hand on his shoulder._

"I guess that makes us really different—"

An announcement came over the PA system. "We will be arriving at New Berge within 15 minutes, please be ready to go." The voice was computer generated. It had done that every time they landed... announced the 15 minute warning. 

Tempest growled. His Airship didn't need refueling… they just needed supplies… since Fidget was another person to feed, but still, that didn't matter. X was the one that made the ship give that warning… probably to remind himself. 

The teen sighed; knowing full well that an hour and forty-five minutes of practicing was making him restless… since he had been practicing almost all the bloody time Fidget had been on the ship… What was he blaming her for? She made him feel not so egotistical… but more human. Oh sure… before he thought of her as annoying, but in all reality… she now made him feel whole. His parents didn't care enough, that was true, and now they were dead, hopefully. If his mom was alive… she probably wouldn't approve of him being with Fidget… but he didn't care now, they were gone, out of his life for good, thank god!! Now the Council of Doom was his family… and after Fidget completed her first task—if that will be possible, considering Action Jock—then she would be the fourth member of the Council. It seemed strange, thinking of her as a work partner, an as kind of a girlfriend. _Girlfriend? Did I just think of her as a girlfriend? I  must be going crazy—wait a minute… no I'm not… this a perfectly normal… all guys my age go through this at some point in their lives… but she is like 4-5 years older than I am…IDEA!!!_

"Uh… Fidget, uh, just outta curiosity, how old are you?" he asked, looking up at her from where his eyes had fallen to the floor. She looked back at him, a playful smile on her face. His eyes lowered, and settled on her chest, which quickly made him look up at the ceiling. He felt his cheeks go red with a burning blush. 

She seemed to have noticed his eyes roving, but chose to ignore it, probably thinking something like _'hormones'_ or something girlish like that. She simply shrugged and said openly, as if she was asked her age all the time. "I'm 19, turning twenty, I think… in three months."

He stared. She was only three years older. Not that bad, actually. But in all reality, normally the guy is older than the girl by about three to five years; it was just common that way. But now she was older than him…

"What? Am I too old for little Tempy?" she asked mockingly, jabbing him lightly in the shoulder with a finger. She giggled, then leaned against him 

Tempest felt like moving away from her, but he couldn't. She was just so random, though… so full of energy. Perhaps, even if he tried, he couldn't get away from her… well… before, he didn't leave her alone, and is just seemed that she was turning the tables on him. 

"Uh, no... You're not too old—" He started to say, but was interrupted by her shout.

"Did you just call me old?! I'm not old!!! Nick Masters is old!! X is old—" 

He stopped her a little too late, placing his hand over her mouth; she had said what should not be said, not on the Airship anyway. X had ears everywhere, the Trilobugs were everywhere…

"Shh… never call X old." He whispered in her ear, looking about the room for any sign of a little purple bug, even one. "You're lucky you're alive… because he could have killed you earlier today if he wanted too. So show some respect."

She glared at him, and then growled. She removed his hand, saying: "but it is the truth, though… he is old." She stood up and picked up her lightning rods. "Anyway… I have something I need to take care of. Bye, Tempy!" she left the room, the door sliding shut behind her. 

_At least she didn't call me 'kid', and her family is more interesting than mine, but I never figured she considered Action Jock and his crew brothers… did they consider her a sister? _He thought, looking at the door she just past through. 

"We have arrived at New Berge, UK. Please prepare for docking." The computer voice said. 

He sighed again, getting up. He picked up his lightning rods; then put them in their holders on his back, and then left the room, the lights turning off and the door closing behind him.

~~~ 

A/N:: sorry it took forever to write this one up, but when the muse of inspiration deserts you in a time of need, it stinks.


	3. 8 Truth

Chapter 8: Truth  
  
By: Kerro Starbane  
  
New Berge UK. was like any other UK town: small, and a major feel of old fashion. There were little houses everywhere, quaint little huts all along the hills, and valleys. The main street was good ole fashioned cobble stone road, running from one end to another, with little shops all along the sides. Quaint, simple, and technologically advanced. That was all thanks to Dr. X, and the Council of Doom, even though that was currently just Tempest and Asazi.  
  
Locals say that Dr. X offered them technology they couldn't get from the big cities, if they provided him with supplies. The people rightly agreed, and began storing stuff just for X, who came once a year.  
  
Her mind reeled with this information. To think X had a little town devoted to him, where the people didn't exactly praise him, but respected him.  
  
All this information had come from Asazi, who, it seemed, liked to talk just as much as she like to shoot things, and kill people, and blow things up. Dr. X had made Tempest remain on the Airship, making sure that things were loaded properly onto the ship. Everything seemed to have an orderly fashion to it. An orderly fashion that was constantly disrupted by the most outlandish things; little children, flat tires, and the all annoying things that had to be repaired by X, such as the lift for the supplies.  
  
~~~  
  
Fidget sat in a small coffee shop, the hood of her cape pushed back. She had left the ship a little while ago, deciding that solid ground was better than turbulent air. There truly was no difference between Big Air and The Airship, well. maybe that one was bigger than the other, and faster, and carried a helluva lot of weapons.  
  
She sipped her latté, watching as very few people entered the establishment. It seemed that only Old Ladies, and giggly teenaged girls entered, then left quickly upon catching site of her. Maybe because she was part of the Council-no she wasn't! Tempest said she had to do something to earn her way onto the Council.  
  
That sparked her memory of checking her email. It was loaded with little notes from Rikki, and with every new mail, they got shorter and shorted, until the latest one read "Are you there?" She couldn't respond to them, having seen the news report and hearing it straight from his mouth that she was dead. But she chose one, and responded to it. She gave enough to prove that she was alive and living well. Maybe that would surprise him.  
  
"Fidget?"  
  
She looked up, and saw Tempest looking down on her, a black leather jacket hanging on his buff shoulders.  
  
"Want me to break my neck? Sit down." She replied, motioning for him to take a seat, which he did.  
  
He regarded her for a moment, seemingly losing all arrogant persona, and egotistical feeling about him, becoming someone almost normal-if she counted shooting lightning bolts from his body 'normal.'  
  
"I wanted to ask you. are you feeling all right? You seem. I don't know. distracted, since practice." He asked, looking over the rim of his sun glasses at her.  
  
She sighed, looking out the shop window. She hadn't seen him since they finished practice. well, once when she was with him on the lift, directing some youths as they took care of supplies. She didn't get a chance to talk to him then. "Well. I've had a lot on my mind. Considering what my future might be like and all."  
  
Tempest nods, ordering a soda to drink. "I think Dr. X might accept you, since he doesn't object to you being on the Airship."  
  
"I know he doesn't object, or wouldn't he have kicked me off by now?"  
  
"Not necessarily. He is more inclined to quietly remove you, and then something horrible happens. Like what happened to Quake. Dr. X was getting annoyed with the fat-ass, as was everyone else. so he was quietly removed from the ship. then out of nowhere. where he had been dropped off at, the entire place caught fire. and the jerk died." Tempest replied, showing little emotion as he told the story.  
  
"I remember that. InterCEPT had called us, wondering if we could check that out. The fire crews had already gotten there, and said that there had only been one casualty." She replied. "What ever happened to Gangrene?"  
  
The teenager shrugged. "He vanished. We had landed in a forest for repairs, and the guy just disappeared. We didn't bother looking for him; he wasn't on the ship, so he was left behind. We couldn't raise him on the radio either. Oh well, leaves more room for other people." He chuckled, sipping at his drink.  
  
She sipped at her latte, watching as a truck went from a warehouse, to the Airship and back again.  
  
Something caught her eye, a flag was being sent up a flag pole in the town square. The wind caught it, and the violet flag burst into life. A globe with a green X through it waved on the purple background.  
  
"What's that flag for?" she asked, looking to the younger man.  
  
Tempest looked at the flag, and shrugged. "No idea. perhaps some of the old farts got creative?"  
  
She giggled, the laughed. "Right. and when the old farts get creative, it leaves the young ones nothing to do."  
  
Tempest snorted. "Yeah right."  
  
They watched the flag flap for a little bit, as fluffy white clouds floated by.  
  
"Peaceful." she commented, finishing off her drink.  
  
"Yeah, and to think that one day peace may not exist." He regarded her for a moment. "He will create the Neo-Humans, and there is nothing Action Jock or his team can do about it."  
  
He struck a buried nerve pertaining to her half brothers. "Why do you call him 'Action Jock' all the time? It's not nice, or appropriate."  
  
Tempest condescended upon her. "He is a jock, as in, sporting fanatic. And he is always being a pain in the ass, like a jock. Overblown ego if you ask me."  
  
Her temper raised, little sparks flaring from her hair. "Alex does not, and will not have an 'overblown ego' as you put it! You don't even know him. You are the one with an ego!" She got up and stormed from the shop, leaving a shocked Tempest behind.  
  
She walked down the main road for a little while, scowling. People moved out of her way, looking over their shoulders at her, then letting it go.  
  
She was severely pissed. Tempest had just insulted one of the people that had been her friends for a long time, and had given her a job on Team Extreme.  
  
She stopped when she realized that her bit of reminiscing and anger had taken her out into the woods. Her rage had built up to be almost unbearable, and sparks were flying from the tips of her cape. None were shocking her, which was a plus from that morning.  
  
She pulled out her lightning rods, and aimed them at a tree, making sure no one was around to see her. She brings up a charge, the rods crackling. There was a blinding flash, and the cracking of wood as the tree fell towards her.  
  
She ducked, and rolled out of the way, feeling the shockwave as the tree hit the ground.  
  
"Whoa. if I could do that to a tree, think of what I could do to a person." She stared at the woods around her, wondering where that idea came from exactly. Looking back to the fallen pine tree, she sighed and built up another charge, trying not to use her emotions as triggers. She could feel a sizable charge on the ends of the rods.  
  
She planted her feet, and carefully took aim at the next tree. She unleashed the bolt, which deflected from the tree. And came back at her, stopping at her lightning rods, and then formed into a ball, hovering between the tips.  
  
'Wha? Does lightning normally do this?' Fidget still stared, watching as the lightning ball dissipated. She dropped her arms to her sides, and stared at the empty woods around her.  
  
'Why did I defend Alex when I haven't seen him in two months? How do I know that since then he hasn't gotten an ego? Why have I stayed on the Airship with people that were once enemies?'  
  
She looked back to the town, and sighed, wondering if she could just run away. All those nights of dreaming that Alex would come and rescue her had gone, leaving behind the feelings of dread and sadness, feelings of never being rescued.  
  
She had been protective of him in the past, but where was he when she needed to be protected? Where was he that he couldn't rescue her?  
  
She headed back to the town, slipping the rods back to their holsters on her back. She couldn't run away, she would just be a ghost to everyone. So her remaining option was to remain on the Airship.  
  
~~~ A few days later, Big Air ~~~  
  
They had just finished planning their 'attack' on X's airship. Darla had wanted to get in on it, and with her in Grinder's presence, she miraculously shut up. They decided that Alex and Rikki would go in, and look around for any sign of Fidget. What they would do if she was alive they didn't plan for, everyone (except Rikki) believed she was dead.  
  
The Team manager brought up the subject of the email he received from Fidget, showing that she was still alive and well. They still didn't believe him.  
  
'Why should they; they have never believed me in the past, even when I was right.' He thought, walking down the corridor to get ready for their 'attack'.  
  
Why was he going on this when Grinder would be better suited? Because, he originally brought up the idea of going to see if Fidget was all right in the first place, that's why.  
  
He put on the suit that each member had: a skin tight white, grey and blue colored suit. The logo was stamped on each arm, and on the front. He hated skin tight things, they looked good on Fidget, and maybe a few other women he had seen, but skin tight was defiantly meant for women, not him, especially not him.  
  
He stepped out of the room to see Alex standing there, slinging the BSU onto his back. The taller man was dressed in normal blue and gold. 'He at least has a choice between baggy or tight. Damn him.'  
  
"Ready to go Rikki?"  
  
"Yeah.. Let's go see if Fidget is all right." He said, following Alex to Little Air.  
  
'Here it goes, we fly to find out whether or not she is all right. I believe her email, but nothing beats the real truth.' He thought, watching Big Air disappear behind them. 


	4. 9 Mettings that Result from Ignorance

Chapter 9:  
  
Meetings That Result from Ignorance  
  
By: Kerro Starbane  
  
Tempest was finding the engines more and more of a problem over the past few days since they visited New Berge. He was constantly in the modules for them, always having to make repairs since Dr. X had more important things to do. He had no time to train Fidget, no time to practice himself, and no time to even sit back and admire the work he had done.  
  
He moved to the plasma reactor and with it shut down for the time being, started to work on it. The damned thing was the only one of three that had any problems, and no mater what he did, it always acted up on him again.  
  
The hopefully final adjustment was made, and he slid down to the side of the reactors hub to the control panel, and started the machine up again.  
  
The deck started humming, and blue and white light started to flood the floor. He looked up and saw that he had forgotten to replace the panel.  
  
"Fuck." He dashed over to the intercom, pressing to get someone, hopefully Dr. X. "Hey, if anyone is listening, we have a serious fucking problem. The panel protecting the main reactor core is broken, and when I started it up, it started sparking-" He looked to the reactor, and caught a face full of blue-white light, throwing him away from the intercom, and into a corner.  
  
All he saw as the world faded was to much bright light.  
  
~~ ! ~~  
  
Fidget met Dr. X on the way to the reactor where Tempest was working. They were both in a dead sprint, and very soon, Asazi joined them.  
  
The airship was shaking, the other two reactors having a hard time remaining active while pure plasma flooded one of the rooms.  
  
"Both of you; remain out here. Pure plasma is dangerous." X said, charging through the door, and returning moments later with an unconscious Tempest slung over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. He was leaned against the wall, and X scanned him with his one red eye. "He's still alive. Let us get him to the Med Bay, quickly."  
  
Asazi and X picked him, up, and they all moved quickly to the bay. Fidget was nearly on her toes, wondering what could have happened to him.  
  
Tempest was put in one of the few beds in the Med Bay, and was nearly swarmed with Trilobugs, who hooked him up to IVs and monitors.  
  
"Are you sure he is going to be ok?" Fidget asked, looking him over. She watched as his tattoo slowly vanished, and the streak in his hair disappeared, but it was replaced by black and silver highlights. He looked a whole lot cuter than ever before, but he was still the rude and arrogant punk she had been fighting. She dashed those old thoughts from her head as best she could, but only managed to push them down. She watched as Dr. X administered drugs to bring him around to the world of the awake. She had no idea what type of drugs he was being given, but hopefully they brought him around.  
  
Asazi looked nearly pissed off, her arms crossed, a scowl permanently set into her face. "He went and got him self blown up. and his hair isn't much of an improvement."  
  
Dr. X glared at Asazi. "Shut up, unless you think you can tell me what is wrong with both the reactor and Tempest? Speaking of which, one must now be dealt with." He made sure everything was set, then left the Med Bay, breaking into a full out dash as the ship shuddered again.  
  
Both women grabbed onto the walls and the bed for support as the ship began to pitch. There didn't seem to be any stopping it until the beast of technology finally settled down, and continued it's smooth flight.  
  
Fidget lost her grip, and fell to the floor, landing hard. She hated loosing her balance, but the ship quickly settled down. "What a piece of junk."  
  
A strong arm hauled her to her feet, and she turned to see that it was Tempest, his eyes closed very tightly. "My ship is not a piece of junk, it is just really touchy. Now, get me some really dark sunglasses." He paused, as if debating on whether being nice or mean was in order. "Please?"  
  
"Yeah, no problem." She raced to the replicator set in the back of the room, and made the darkest pair of sunglasses she could think of. Her dad used Ray Bands, and those things were the darkest she knew of. She handed them back to him, noting how different he looked now. "You ok kid?"  
  
Tempest put the glasses on, pulling the wires and IVs out. "Yeah, I'll be fine." He sat on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands. "My eyes hurt, my head hurts, and practically everything else hurts too."  
  
A lone trilobug came up, and when it tried to put the IV back in, Tempest loosened a bolt and the bug was thrown back. Tempest hadn't moved a muscle, didn't even reach for a lightning rod that Fidget had. His had been left back in the Engine room.  
  
"Tempest. The doc would be surprised." Asazi said, staring.  
  
Tempest looked at his hands through the sunglass, and watched as his fingers sparked with lightning. "I don't even need the rods anymore. I can make it with out the conversions." He aimed his hand at Fidget. "Just hold still, and plant your feet."  
  
Fidget spread her feet apart a little more to get a brace, and closed her eyes as Tempests' lightning shot out, and wove around her. It tickled, making the hairs on her arms stand on end. She opened her eyes again to find him grinning, but with the dark glasses, she couldn't tell what he was thinking.  
  
"I was right, I can do it all myself now-"  
  
"Which is all well and good, but it means that you are now a danger to this crew, incase your powers get out of control, but I believe with a little practice, that shouldn't be a problem." Dr. X entered again, a few scorch marks on his violet shirt. "The reactor is taken care of, if you are also wondering about that. It seems that the machine itself was in disrepair, but I know that can't be possible, because Tempest, you have been practically living there for the past few days." He stopped and surveyed the assembled crew. A teenaged super genius, an assassin, and a defective camerawoman from his arch nemesis that he had decided to take on. What a reputation they would have if the world knew. "I believe it is time to continue with our plans. And Tempest, I would like to run a few tests when you are up to it." He left the ramshackle screw, clearly headed for his quarters to get a new shirt.  
  
Tempest looked at Asazi, and then to Fidget. "Well, you heard the man, back to work."  
  
No one moved. It was as if the ship was a forest, and they had all taken root.  
  
Fidget finally gave up on the silence, and literally stormed from the Medical Bay/Lab, and headed for the Bridge. She was becoming to Introverted! Damn it! She was supposed to be an extrovert, but she was thinking far too often. She needs to explode on someone, someone that really needed to be laid into. someone..  
  
She entered the Bridge, just as the white form of Little Air zoomed over head. She just knew they would land on the top of the ship, and go through the hatch on top, and then make their way down. Well, wouldn't they be in for a surprise.  
  
She went to the communications station, and brought up the intercom. "Hey, we have company. Top side." She hoped they would under stand her meaning.  
  
She learned from Tempest in the months before that Team Extreme was always referred to as 'company' and were treated as such.  
  
And she would call them 'bad company' because that was exactly what they were, bad company for not coming to get her sooner, not coming to her aid when she needed them the most. Well, then just lost a powerful ally in her.  
  
Tempest burst into the Bridge, looking her over. With her face set so grim, he didn't even want to ask if she was ok. He went to a scanner, and saw that Action Jock and the scared manager were already in the ship. "Fuck. note to self, upgrade security systems-"  
  
"I turned the security systems off, Tempest, I want them to come here to the Bridge, and I want to fight Alex." She said it so coldly, he swore the air dropped a few degrees.  
  
Fidget just watched the monitors, waiting for them to come. It was Alex and Rikki, which didn't surprise her. Deep down, she still liked the blue haired, frantically calm manager, but the wheels of time continues to spin, and feelings left. She didn't use the intercom to contact them, but the personal communicators everyone carried. "Lead them to the Bridge, or at least the corridor outside it, I have an idea for Action Man. and company." She turned to Tempest. "Care to run a quick test before our company arrives?"  
  
Tempest raised an eyebrow at her. "Quick test. as in?"  
  
There was the hissing of a door sliding open, leaving just enough time for Fidget to pull the hood of her cape up, and hiding her face from view.  
  
Her mind sang. 'Here we go, one more time, every bodies feeling fine, here we go now, yes, yes, here we go, N'sync has got the flow.' She didn't even turn around to know that it was Alex and Rikki.  
  
"You guys are late." She said coldly, watching the clouds.  
  
"Fidget? Is that you?" Alex said, shaking Rikki off of his arm and stepping close to the former Camera woman. It couldn't be possible, how could she be alive?  
  
Fidget spun around, glaring at him. "Yeah it's me! I'm a ghost, dead! Unless you are seeing dead people now!" she felt the lightning starting to spark, the tips of her cape flaring up and sparking more. She pushed back her hood, the tips of her hair nearly exploding with lightning. She had very good control, and knew that the Storm wouldn't get her by surprise anymore. "Well? Are you going to say something?"  
  
The two members of Team Extreme looked at each other, and were staring at her.  
  
"Fidget. We tried looking for you, I swear to god we did! But we couldn't find you-" Rikki tried, but found he was cut off by the angriest shout he had ever heard come from someone smaller than him.  
  
"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT EVEN THINK TO LOOK IN THE MOST LIKELY OF PLACES?!!! LOOK WHERE I HAVE BEEN!" she was becoming so enraged that she didn't even notice that her skin kept flickering from peach to translucent blue, and little flames started sprouting around her feet.  
  
Alex and Rikki stepped back, fearing her rage and anger. They had never seen her like this, never having seen her transformation. They both didn't know what to do, except get away from her.  
  
He couldn't take this, Fidget was once a very close friend, and they truly did try looking for her. "Fidget, listen to me. We DID try looking for you, but we couldn't truly believe that you fell to the Airship, we just didn't see that happening, except Rikki."  
  
Rikki nodded, remaining behind Alex. 'Why do I get the feeling that they are going to end up fighting? Fidget couldn't have just been sitting around, doing nothing for the past few months, and from what I can see, she looks a lot stronger. Maybe what happened did that to her.' he watched as Fidgets eyes glowed bright white, her skin translucent blue, showing her bones and veins as lighter blues and purples. He saw her heart, beating fast, her lunges taking deep breaths and expelling. Her muscles were invisible, being the same translucent shade of blue as her skin. To see her like that was extremely freaky.  
  
He stepped out from behind Alex, walking up to Fidget. He could feel the heat through his suit; feel the power she was radiating. He stopped when it became nearly unbearable. "Fidget, we do care about you. I care about you."  
  
~~ ! ~~  
  
I stared. I couldn't believe what I had just heard, and through the tumult of the power and force raging through my head because of my anger towards both of them.  
  
I felt the power ebbing away, my vision cleared to where I could see both of them clearly, Rikki standing out in my vision. He was clearly afraid, but also foolishly brave.  
  
"If you cared, then why didn't you come looking for me before? Why did you leave me here?" I spoke before I had a chance to think about what I was going to say. I had learned to hold my tongue while I had been here, but apparently when I was around them, it was like old times.  
  
"Fidget, I believe that you were here, but the others. Alex and Grinder didn't listen. I'm sorry to have left you here, I really am."  
  
~~ ! ~~  
  
A burst of Lightning flashed from Tempests bare hands, slamming into Rikki and throwing him crossed the bridge. The manager crumpled to the ground, unconscious.  
  
The multicolored haired teen looked Fidget and Alex over, smirking. "Fidget, don't let your guard down again, it leaves an opening for these peons to get close."  
  
Fidget stared at Rikki, not believing that Tempest had actually attacked Rikki. She slowly turned, seeing the horror on Alex's face, and the nasty smirk on Tempest's. Half said help her brother; the other said help her colleague and friend..  
  
Family or work? Work or Family? She couldn't make up her mind. The demons in her head running around, telling her to do this, do that, do something, and her body wasn't responding.  
  
Alex or Tempest? She knew both of them really well, knew that they both cared for her, knew that they both wanted her to make the right decision... but with Alex and the others not coming to find her, and Tempest being the only person she could talk to.  
  
She pulled the lightning rods from the holsters on her back, the charge from earlier still there, and she let it build, the tips begging to spark once again. The bolts jumped from one tip to the next, and back and forth, the lightning growing in size till it arced crossed the bridge and struck Alex square in the chest, throwing him into a wall.  
  
He stared up at her, seeing spots. He didn't expect her to attack him, but then again, she was far different than he remembered. In the next instant, everything went black.  
  
Fidget stared down at Alex, the lightning rods firmly grasped in her hands. What had she just done? Was it supposed to happen this way? Was she supposed to do this? What happened? What drove her to make that action against him?  
  
She stepped away, walking backwards, doing her best to get away from him. All the energy from the storm vanished as quickly as it came, leaving her as she was before. She tripped on the hem of her cape, falling backwards on it, sitting near the windows.  
  
The teen moved close to Alex, and checked his pulse. "He's Alive. but barely. I say give him to X, and kick the manager overboard-"  
  
"No, send them both back to Big Air." Fidget said, getting up again, a caring look in her eyes, but it faded quickly. "Get them off the ship, and away from here. Period. X will bitch at us, but that is tolerable. Now is not the time for them to be here."  
  
~~ ! ~~  
  
Dr. X did bitch at them, and made them both feel guilty of mutiny afterwards, but the realization that he couldn't execute them because he would loose his engineer and an ally. He certainly was not pleased that Little Air was remotely controlled back to Big Air, and that he had once again missed out on the chance to obtain the AMP Factor, but there would be other times.  
  
Tempest, weak-kneed after both trying out his new ability and the event that caused it, retreated to his quarters, Fidget helping him.  
  
They sat in awkward silence for some time, Fidget clenching and unclenching her fists, doing her best to take out her frustration as best she could without actually hitting something.  
  
The teen, laying back on his bed, rolled over and looked at her in the low light, the discarded sunglasses on the night stand.  
  
"Fidget, I'm sorry I did that, but he was to close." he sounded pathetic, like an over protective boyfriend.  
  
Light blue eyes glared at him with the ferocity that an enraged creature might have when staring down one of it's own over a piece of rare food.  
  
"You attacked Rikki. I really don't know whether or not I should hug you, or kill you. You have never been in this type of situation." She stood up and left the room, sticking her hands in her pockets and stalking along the corridor.  
  
She needed somewhere to vent. and this craft was not helping her at all.  
  
~~ ! ~~  
  
A/N:: Ahh, another one done.. now just need to work on chapter 10. 


	5. Threshold of Victory

Chapter 10  
  
The Threshold of Victory  
  
By: Kerro Starbane  
  
The predawn light turned the low hanging clouds a faint powder blue under- hued with bits of orange, red and pink. The still air in the upper atmosphere was calm and cooling raging tempers that were brewing out control. The stars still gleamed with their eternal fires and burning souls of desire, doing their best to hold darkness in its place.  
  
No one stirred on the craft, everything was quiet and silent, all for the trilobugs skirting about with their semi-random acts of business. The gray cloak was splayed out around the person sitting on the floor of the bridge, staring out at the sunrise, powder blue eyes mirroring the clouds.  
  
"I did what I did... because I had too. Because it was my obligation to, because... because I'm not better than anyone here." Came the near whimpering whisper. Knees were drawn up, and thin arms wrapped around, head buried into the denim fabric, all stifling choked back sobs. There was no decent explanation for what she did... it was all a mass of confusion, and instinct, and emotions...  
  
"What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking about my actions... I should just take what I do in stride, and... and... I lost who I was... The fire is under the surface, but it isn't who I am anymore. I would never have attacked Alex, I would... I would have hugged him for rescuing me... but..." she was going to run herself in circles before she ever came to a decent answer. A glance to the windows showed that the sun was continuing its rise over the eastern horizon. A reflection showed that she wasn't alone, and it wasn't the person she was expecting.  
  
The figure knelt down next to her, resting on the balls of his feet, perfectly balanced that not even the strongest of winds could knock him over.  
  
The words he spoke told he knew exactly what was going on in her head, and everything she feared that would eventually come true. Inwardly, she was horrified that he had logically foreseen her defecting from the Team, and becoming his ally. All because of the misdirection of them believing that she was dead. He spoke as though he knew it was going to happen, and going to come true. And yet, he never predicted her getting hit with lightning, her becoming like Tempest, or Alex and Rikki coming to try and find her. Many things he couldn't predict, or even logically perceive happening, did. He told her that the notions of him being a psychotic mad-man was not far from the truth, but that he was slowly pulling away from that path, but still furthering his goal.  
  
"... and it is that goal that I want you to be apart of. I need someone like you, who knows what the people that I cannot understand are saying, and thinking. There are aspects to them that even the most intelligent of people cannot fathom. If you accept this... and along with your past actions, you will be a member of the Council. There is one place still open, and right now, it is reserved for you." He dismissed himself at that time, and let the woman think about it.

* * *

Many months later...

* * *

Fidget sat at the desk, poring over papers. One part of her screamed that it never imagined her with a desk job for the most evilest person in the world, but that part was very small, and to the point that it was soon going to be gone. Her eyes strained over the report papers, taking in all the information that came through on the printed sheets.  
  
In a grunt of pure frustration, she pushed away from her desk, and tilted back, letting her arms hand over the arms of the black leather chair.  
  
"I can't believe this... month of this hunt after Team Extreme, and still no word from them. I wonder if they just jumped down a hole and vanished."  
  
The young man that had been sitting on the floor, leaning back against the bed, just shrugged. "It could be worse, you know. We could have InterCEPT still chasing us, and that pseudo government agency on our tails..."  
  
"Jeezus, don't remind me!"

* * *

The two wielders of lightning flew down the corridors of the building. Dark sun glasses reflected the light, and gray cape nearly hid them from view, but their blond hair gave them away. They took a corner sharply, each braced a palm against it, and swung, the magnets grabbing the metal and throwing them around the corner, and out of the line of gunfire.  
  
Tempest aimed his hand like a gun at a large vent in the wall, and fired a bolt of lightning. The vent shattered, and they both jumped through it, falling into the large ventilation shaft. Then both fell, Tempest held Fidget close, while a quick movement caught the cape on her heels, and it opened like a parachute, the wind sending them upwards.  
  
Lightning arched a crossed the point of the upper shaft and his fingers, the vent and fan up there exploding outward, and sending them sailing into the sky. They both landed gracefully on the back of the Airship, Fidget pulling out the small black disk.  
  
"Run this inside.. I think we have a tail."  
  
Shortly, he was gone, but someone else glided to the back of the Airship as it started lumbering a crossed the sky.  
  
"How did I guess that you would so soon be caught up in their antics?"  
  
A grin slowly spread a crossed her face, easing a lightning rod out of its holster at her waist. "And I feel bad for you to, Alex... having to go against the new world order. Tell Rikki I said good-bye." She spun around; unleashing a series of bolts right at him.  
  
Alex ducked, rolling a crossed the back of the ship. He jumped to his feet, and ran in close, no longer caring that this person used to be his friend. Fist up and under, missed. He fell, legs swept out from under him. He never saw her crouch. Landing on a well placed hand, he repeated her trick, bringing her down to the deck next to him. He didn't expect her cape to fall on him, causing momentary blindness, but in that time, he felt the attack of her power, every bolt coursing along...  
  
He jumped back to his feet, catching a punch aimed at his face, and stopping a kick aimed a little to low for comfort with his other hand. Her free hand, a pale white and fragile, lashed out, connecting solidly with the side of his face, sending him with much ado to the deck.  
  
The star speckled night, half moon lighting the battle ground with eerie white light. A gray, ghostly cape few off into the night, the wind carrying it away to some far off place.  
  
The night was pierced with a scream of pain and surprised.  
  
"AHH!!!"  
  
A blue figure went tumbling off the back of the ship, spiraling down with bolts of lightning chasing him. There was no one to catch him, but everyone to see his fall. The next moment, he was gone, vanishing into the same air that stretched its arms to embrace him.  
  
The grin re-emerged, wind lightly tugging at her vest and pants.  
  
"Finally..."  
  
Pain welled up again in her midsection, guilt for killing someone. But it was someone who should have died along time ago, and someone she was all too happy to take care of.  
  
Sneakers squeaked as she walked down a corridor, headed for the Bridge where X should have the disk, and was accessing its contents. Hopefully it had the information they wanted and needed.

* * *

"Then again, it really wasn't that bad... I mean. We got the info, got it back, took care of Action jock, and all without getting caught. But I did loose my cape..."  
  
A low laugh came from the teen. "A cape is a cape. It made you look sexy, though, and I think you should get a new one. But... you taking care of Action Jock was good. I wish I could have stayed to see it—"  
  
"Ah-ah-ahh, Hon, you had to get that disk to X." She got out of her chair, and sat next to him on the floor of their room. She wasn't the type to lean against someone... so him slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her a little closer prompted resistance, but it was only a reaction that was as habitual as breathing for her.  
  
Right after the first meeting with Alex and Rikki, after X offered her the place on the council and she accepted, her relationship with Tempest had grown. Really grown. Neither of them could describe the feelings they had, it was just a silent love. Each complimented the other, and after a few squabbles, it settled, and they got along perfectly.  
  
Tempest seemed more like someone who was far older than her, but he was only 17... birthday was last month, and hers was still a while away. But between each of them, age didn't really matter; it was what they felt that they both believed in.  
  
"It doesn't matter... mission was completed, and we got some time to relax."  
  
"Yeah, then the shit hit the fan."

* * *

"What do you mean, 'you can't find them'? You are a hired bounty hunter and Assassin, yet you can't even find a simple group of ingrates! Asazi, you have 3 days to find where Team Extreme went into hiding, or, God help you, I'll throw you out that airlock with cinder blocks tied to your feet!"  
  
Common threat made by X. simple for even his tastes, but sometimes his mind gets a little cloudy, and he can't really think straight.  
  
Asazi had been ordered to hunt down Team, which was comprised of Rikki, Darla, Grinder, Brandon and Alex.  
  
Action Man had survived the fall, using the AMP Factor when body, mind, and soul realized that he was going to die. None of the affects could have been monitored; since he moved so fast that not even X's optical implant could follow him.  
  
Everyone was pissed off that he survived, but that just started this hunt for him.  
  
The last transmission they received was in pure coding, and the tape was scrambled. It had taken X and Tempest 2 full days to figure it out. The message was that Team would never be found, and no matter how hard they (the Council) tried, they would fail. It also said that Alex was dead, but they were inclined to disbelieve that, since they saw him appear a while later.  
  
But with Asazi's increasing failure, and the longer she spent away from the ship, they were becoming suspicious. Dr. X had every reason to believe that she was going to defect, and he stopped short of using manipulation to get the truth from her.  
  
It was right after the Pseudo Government stuff that they started.  
  
Shit hit the fan when a small group of Agents, Brandon and Alex, and some Ex-Military came after them all. They had docked at New Berg for a few things when they had been found, and only quick work of lightning, laser fire, and exploding arrows saved them. Since then, they had been on the run, only sending out Asazi in a mini-chopper to do what needed to be done. Major damage had been done to the ship during that fray, but it could all be repaired. It took a lot of time, and a lot of hiding.  
  
They needed Asazi to take out Alex; he was getting way to close for comfort, always seeming one step behind them. He was getting way to close... and only a quick storm whipped away any trace that they had been in that spot.  
  
They took the initiative when they got a chance too, turning around and attacking Team out right, and sending them into hiding... and that started the prey hunting the predator. They sent the team running, too. Airship had been equipped with more weapons, and unleashed hell on them. They didn't know the casualty rate, but they hoped that someone had died.  
  
That had been about three weeks ago. Asazi had pinpointed where they had camped out at, and the route they had been taking and a possible destination. They had jumped hundreds of steps ahead, closing in on the strike. Master Trilobugs had been dropped at strategic locations in a half circle around the camp, and would keep them from running away. It was all set up.  
  
Now they sat on the threshold of victory.

* * *

Possibly 'The End' 


End file.
